So, here goes my first attempt to spread a little kindness. As many of you know, Eagle Elementary School, my old school, has been closed down and is being sold to the Islamic Cultural Association. What should have been a simple transaction turned into a huge controversy, as a small number of "concerned citizens" intensely lobbied to halt the sale. They believe that Islam as fundamentally a religion of violence, totally incompatible with American society and democracy. Some legal reasons were also cited, but an attempted lawsuit was quickly thrown out by the courts for having no merit.
I've been very excited that a new religious group was going to call Farmington Hills its home, and increase our community's diversity while promoting cooperation and tolerance among different faiths. I'm hoping that as members of our community interact more and more with Muslims, old stereotypes and misconceptions can be thrown out and forgotten. Yet, I'm afraid a few bigots will make our community seem xenophobic and inhospitable to certain minority groups. So, I am planing on writing an anonymous letter to the Islamic Cultural Association welcoming them to the city and telling them the neighborhood stands firmly behind them, and posting it outside Eagle Elementary (and maybe I'll send it to them directly as a letter or email). I'll post the letter and some pictures when I finish, hopefully tomorrow.
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